Signaling device



April 5, 1930. J. A. STEPHEYNS 1,755,137

SIGNALING DEVICE Filed Oct. 4, 1929 2 Shets-Sheet 1 3 l' fg-fi'. v 27 1ATTORNEY Apnl 15, 1930, AQSTEPHEN S 1,755,137

SIGNALING DEVICE Filed Oct 4, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 1 5,1930 r ,v "untrue[ ATES :PjAT-E c icosnrii A 'STEPI-IVENSLOFvnnmimoN/sonrr; DAKOTA A stunners t E i This invention relates toimprovements'ina signal device for automobiles andmor'e par- --ticularlyto-an improvement-in that type 0f signal device which is designed toindicate the I v5"di'iver?s intention to make a, turn,-jand one -o:fithe principal-obj ec'ts'of the invention is to I provide a-s'igiialdevice of 'this type which willbe especially well adapted for use on pclosed. carsthe invention contemplating a- 1 signa1 -devioesimulatingthe human arm and hand, and which device may be conveniently{and readily mounted uponthe windshield of f, a cliosedautomobileandactuated by the driver J 5: rfrom= within the" car-sor-as to effectupward and. outward swinging of the" device, and,

' V simultaneousjprojection of the'arm thereotas a representation of ahuman arm, the 1n vention in this respect: also contemplatinga "deviceof this nature inwhich the parts repre-'- senting thefingers of the handareso con- 7 I 'nect'ed that when the handmember is extend- "ed orprojected, these parts will automatically bespread apart. a 1 f- Anotherobject of the inventionis to pmi vide asignal device of this type inwhich the hand member is not only'automatically projectedzv'froml the"arm membenbutjis, at the same time automatically retracted when the 3arm members is swung downwardly to inactive QVPQSIJDIQILV" i Thisinvention also consists in certain other features of construction and1n-the combina--.

*tion and arrangement ofthe several parts, to

.j IE-i'gure 1 1s a view 'in be hereinafter fullyidescribed, illustratedin the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in. theappended claims. V

'In describing my inventionin detail, i'ef- 7 I 'erence will beihad'tothe accompanying draw-. ingswherein like characters denotelikeyorcorresponding partsthroughout the several views,-an'din which a a, A

' front-elevation of the device embodying the invention mounted Q c 4upon the windshield' of an automobile and in i inch-display or;inactivewposition. v Figure; 2 isga vertical sectional I oni'the line'ofiFigure looking in the idirection indicateduby the arrows and illus;

;- 'tratin the device or the ,umrleoll inside e'le view taken innondisp'lay' or inactive position infull linesand in display or activeposition in' I I 1 dottedlinesr i w,

I Figure 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view takensubstantially onthe line 44= of t Figure 3 looking; in the c directionindicated I by thearrows. I v I 1 Elgure 5 is a horizontal sectional view in ,detail'takenon the line 5'5 of Figure 3 look-c a ingin the-direction indicated bythe arrows;

f V Figure 631s aisimilar view o th 1m l fiFigur'e'3,v r a r p @YThesignal 1 and which is intended to simulate the human arm. Thisime'mbiermaybe i made of sheet metal,; wood,' or any other material: :fou'ndsuitable v:tor the purposefandis pre'ferablyg.

V I device comprises 1 a member which 1s mdicat-ed 111 general bytheinumeral Figure 3 is a vertical transverse sectional J view throughthe device 11lustrating'thesame c of hollow-approximately rectangulartubular form iand, in order that the member maybe frame, and a washer 4being preferably interposed between the rear wall of the member 1.

and the said'member of the windshield frame, so as to somewhat space themember fromthe frame and prevent rubbing contact therewith; T Preferablythe member 1 is formed'in twosec-j tions-whi'ch interfit as shownclearly iniFig ures 3,';5-and6 of the drawings, and which are heldassembled bymeans of small screws-5; so that access may be had to theinterior ofthe. member for the repairs to the parts therein whensuchbecome necessary. 7

1 Theupper end of the member l-is prefer-H.

mounted-iupon one side of'the windshiel-d' b rr meahe front and rearwallsof the member 1 f are provided with openings 2 through which 7, 1 tr a pivot screw 3'may be engaged and threaded into the said 'sidememberof thewindshield I ably -clos'edtbutthe lower end thereofis left entlybe made; apparent, to providegfori the unobstructed passage of a'cable'or suitable or end to the other eye and at its upper end to an eye 11anchored in the closed upper end of the unit 1. The flexible-elementistrained about a pulley 12, which is rotatably mounted upon aspindlel?) extending between and mountedat one end in one of thewal1s,namely the front wall of the unit body, and'from this pulley thecable passes through a tubular guide 14, and upwardly and rearwardlyfrom V the upperend of the unit 1 and through an e'yeleted opening 15 inthe top member of the wind shield frame, a suitable length of the cablebeing permitted to extend within the automobile beside the frame memberupon which the unit 1 is mounted, and being provided with a fingerknob'16,'whereby it mayv be conveniently grasped andpulled,'thuseffecting upward and'outward'swinging movement of the unit 1, and thehandunit associate'd therewith, and" ,to be presently de scribed, itbeing observed that the guide 14 is located laterally outward and beyondthe vertical line of the opening 15, this arrangement providing for thedesired swinging movement of the device from the verticalto'anapproximately horizontal position, and the use of a comparatively shortcable. Preferably a guard 17 of arcuate form is mounted within theunit-1 to substantially encompass the lower side of the pulley 1.2 andthus preclude any disengagement of the flexible element from the pulley.V i r The hand unitof the device comprises the member 9 referred toabove and this member comprises a stationary rectangular plate 10 havingflanges 11 projecting at right anglesfrom its forward side and at'itslongitudinal edges'and fitted slidably within the body of the member 1with its flanges slidably engaging against the inner surfaces of theside walls of the said body. Theflanges 11 ex tend over the upper end ofthe plate 10. to a portion .of the plate whichVconstitutes-an ex tensionthereof, and which is indicatedbythe v numeral 18, this extension beingdivided longitudinally so as to provide two finger portions, which areindicated by the numeral 19,

and which represent or correspond tothe -middle .hand. i o

' A'pivot 20 is fitted through the plate 10 near the juncture of itsextension 18there-' with, and this pivot serves to pivotally connect tothe"plate,in overlapped relation with finger and forefinger of a humanrespect thereto and with respect to each other,

sheet metal members 21 and 22, the member 21 being representative of thelittle finger and the finger next to it inthe instance: of a human hand,and the member 22 being representative of the thumb of a human hand. Itwill be observed by reference'to Figure 3 that these members, when theyare swung to folded relatively overlapping relation to one 7 another,are all receivable within the body of the unit 1. In order that themembers 21 and 22 may be automatically swung outwardly or spread to lieat opposite sides of the member 18 when the hand section is extended asshown in dotted linesin Figure 3, wire springs 23 are arranged at theirinnerends against the flanges '1l,and are secured .in place by shortsleeve portions '24 which. are struckupfrom the mid portions of theplate10 and its flanges 11, these ends of the wire" springs being. fitted andheld in the angle between'the plate 10" and'the said flanges. Thesprings are so tensioned that they have a tendency to separate and theirforward end portions are soldered or otherwise secured as at 25, one tothe outer margin of the little finger element of the member 21 and theother to the outer margin of the thumb representing member 22, thelatter being indicated by the numeral 26..

f From'the foregoing description. and by reference to the severalfigures of the drawings, itwill beunderstood that when a pull is exertedupon the flexiblecable 7, the initial pull will result in an upwardandoutward swinging ofthe device as a whole and, when a continuedpull'isexerted uponthe cable the plate 9 will he slid longitudinallyoutwardly in the body of the arm member, the tension of the springlObeingovercome'and the spring being stretchedas shownflin' dotted linesin Figure 3and, in'this movement of the plate theouter margin of thelittle finger of the hand unit and thecorre'sponding ma-r-- gin of thethumb portion of the unit' will ride along the-side walls of thebodyof'the member 1 until they. move pastthe openend of thesaidbody'whereuponthe spring 26 will act to immediately expand or spreadthese portions, so that they will occupythe positions shown in Figure3of'the drawings.

The driver will maintain his hold upon the cable until he has at leaststarted to make his turn, and, when the turn has been made, 7

he releases his hold upon the cable whereupon the spring 10,contracting, will exert, a pull upon the plate 9 to retract the sameinto the body'of'the member 1 at the same'time causing inward swingingmovement of the fingers and thumb of the hand unit so that thesemembers'will enterinto'the hollow body of the arm unit, the arm unitthen swingingvdownwardly to its lowered and'inactiveposi- 7 tion. If itshould be desirable or foundneo,

essary to eliminate the return movement. of

- the 'arm'unit to its loweredor inactive posi effecting representativeof a human hand and'com'prising digit-representingmembers, the said handunit being slidably mounted within the t I hollow member for concealmenttherein and f andmeans operably to automatically .efiect relativespreading of said.

digit representing members whenjthe hand I tion,'a stop pin 27 may bemounted upon the ment for thesaid arm unit. e

What Iclaim is side of the wind shield to constitutethe abut- I 1. Inasignal of the class described, a hol low member representative of thehuman arm, means supporting the same for swinging movement, manuallyoperable means for such swlnglng movement, a umt projection therefrom,

unit is projected from the casing.

2. Ina signal of the class described, a'hollow member representative of'a human arm,

means supporting the same for" swinging for f effecting suchswingingmovement, a unit representative of a human hand comprising 1 movementmanually operable means a member slidable within the hollow member forconcealment therein and pro ection therefrom, members representative ofthe digits ,of a human hand pivotally mountecl'upon said member, andmeans operating to rela tively spread the-last mentioned members whenthe hand unit is projected;

3. In a signal ofthec'lass described, hollow member representative of ahuman arm,- means supporting thesame "for swinging movement, a unitrepresentative of a human "hand and comprising a member slidable vwithinthe hollow member forconcealment there- 7 sentative of the digits of'ahuman hand-piv= in and projection therefrom, members repreotally mountedupon said member,'means V operable'to'relatively spread the digit meme 7bers when the hand unitisprO ecting, a ten- I sion spring within thearm' unit connected at one end to the closed upper endof-the I. armunit, and at'its other end to the first mentioned member of the handunit, and a flexible pull element connected with thesaid first mentionedmember of the hand unit and extending exteriorally of the arm unit andconstituting means for effecting sliding movement of the handunittoextended position against the tension of said spring.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JOSEPH A. STEPHENS.

